Building the Best Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

With passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, the Federal Communications Commission has but a few weeks to craft rules for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, a new effort that will allow low-income households to receive a discount off the cost of monthly broadband service and certain connected devices during the COVID-19 national emergency. Although the FCC currently has a program targeted at low-income consumers, the Lifeline program's monthly $9.25 discount really isn't enough to get and keep people connected to broadband during the pandemic. The FCC asked for public comment on implementing the new program; here's a look at what suggestions the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society made in our filing. Benton offered comments based on five overarching principles:

• This is an emergency: As Congress recognizes in the very title of the program in question, the FCC is to create a broadband benefit in the midst of, and in response to, a national emergency. The FCc must act swiftly.
• Keep it simple: The FCC must keep rules and requirements for participating providers and recipients simple, clear, and easy to understand and execute so that those who can benefit most from the program are able to take advantage of it.
• Competition and choice: Although the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program is new, the overarching purpose of U.S. telecommunications law remains—to promote competition in order to secure lower prices and higher quality services for American telecommunications consumers. The FCC’s rules should encourage as many providers as possible to compete against each other to serve eligible households.
• Prioritize the unconnected: The Commission should incentivize providers to do the harder work of identifying, certifying eligibility, and connecting the disconnected – as Congress intended – to meet our COVID connectivity challenges.
• Identify and enlist eligibility aggregators: The FCC has natural partners through which to reach and verify eligible households, thus speeding the process and ensuring timely service delivery.